Driving Into the Real World

It's all about taking the education they received in classrooms at Cal State Fullerton and putting it into practice.

This semester, 39 students from Robert L. Sage’s upper-division course, “Advertising Campaign — Titan Communications Agency,” are being challenged to use the lessons they have learned to promote Chevrolet vehicles on campus.

It's all a part of the Chevrolet Campus Promotions Program offered through EdVenture Partners, a company that establishes connections between industry partners and universities in which students use gain real-world experience.

“One of my goals after graduation is to join an advertising agency,” said Lance Steward, a senior communications major. “This course, along with all the training I am receiving, is perfect for me when I am out in the real world. I am just one step ahead of the game.”

Cal State Fullerton students in both the College of Communications and Mihaylo College of Business and Economics have participated in the partnership, conducting advertising campaigns for various agencies and corporations since the 1990s.

This semester’s task for students from 23 universities: to build brand awareness among college-age adults on three target vehicles - the Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox and Cruze.

“For 15 weeks the students devise and execute the campaign, conduct post-campaign research and finally, present a campaign book and PowerPoint presentation to Chevrolet and EdVenture representatives,” said Sage, lecturer in communications.“Top teams are rewarded for each milestone they achieve: the campaign brief, testimonial and final presentation.”

The CSUF team named themselves Generation Y Advertising and set up subgroups that focus on aspects of the campaign: research, promotions, creative, media and public relations. The team also established a website: http://gyadvertising.com with promotional materials, photographs and other materials. EdVenture gave each team a $3,000 budget to cover costs incurred during their promotional efforts.

“It’s a good, real-life experience for the students,” said Sage, who has had several student teams working with EdVenture, including a 2008 team that worked on a campaign for the FBI and a 2009 team that won second place for its efforts with Honda. “It gives them a real feel of what they will face when they enter the job market.”

April 14, 2011